The 49th state championship final is set, as wins by Cleveland St. Ignatius and Gates Mills Gilmour Academy advanced the two squads to the OHSAA final Sunday at 4 p.m. at Nationwide Arena.
St. Ignatius will be looking for its ninth Ohio crown and second in the last three years, while Gilmour Academy seeks its second title after winning previously in 2022.
Here are recaps of the semifinal games held Saturday at Nationwide Arena.
Cleveland St. Ignatius 2, Dublin Jerome 1 (3OT)
In a three-overtime thriller, fourth-ranked St. Ignatius defeated fifth-ranked Dublin Jerome, 2-1, to advance to its third consecutive appearance in the state championship game.
It was one of those games that seemingly could’ve gone either way, but junior forward Kyle Rucinski clinched the victory with the game-winning goal on an assist from senior forward Preston Forsythe.
St. Ignatius head coach Pat O’Rourke said his team simply refused to lose.
“I can't really claim any credit for it,” O’Rourke said. “They were not going to let it happen and they believed, and I just was a fan.”
In a back-and-forth game, goaltending was a key factor. Jerome’s John Michael Beuselinck was outstanding, stopping 44 of 46 shots against before Rucinski tucked the puck in at the post with 2:34 remaining in the third overtime.
On the other side, Wildcats goaltender Blake Benedictis was crucial to his team’s success with 24 saves on 25 shots.
“I don’t know how some of those pucks didn’t go in,” O’Rourke said. “He's been awesome all year long. He's just even keeled and we love him.”
In the second period, Dublin Jerome gained momentum from a successful 5-on-3 penalty kill and senior forward Theo Makrogiannis opened the scoring late in the period with assists from Nash Lange and Luke Myers.
The Wildcats didn’t trail for long; sophomore forward Levi Gallucci scored to tie the game 1-1 less than two minutes into the third period. From there, both goalies made key saves and the teams traded chances.
In the third overtime, Ignatius controlled possession and registered seven shots while preventing Jerome from recording any shots.
In the end, the game-winning goal was reflective of the game itself. The Wildcats pressured the Celtics in the offensive zone, and Rucinski managed to sneak the puck behind Beuselinck from the crease.
“I was just behind the net looking for a play, and then I saw if I can get the goalie going one way and tuck it around the other side, then it should go in,” Rucinski said.
O’Rourke said the Wildcats are no strangers to comeback wins, so they were prepared for the moment.
“They've been through it so many times that they have confidence. I'm calling them the Comeback Cats. They don't panic when that happens,” O’Rourke said. “We have a strong belief in ourselves that it's gonna happen.”
“When we're trailing, if we get one goal, it seems like they always flood in, so let's get that first puck on net, get the rebounds, and go from there,” Rucinski said.
O’Rourke said reaching the championship is a goal every year. The Wildcats’ most recent championship was 2024, and they lost 5-2 to Upper Arlington last year in the title game.
“It's unbelievable. It's what we all want every year, and we're lucky enough to get here,” O’Rourke said. “It’s a goal every single year for sure.”
“They're great players, great kids, great character guys. I don't know, it just seems like we're a team of destiny.”
Gates Mills Gilmour Academy 4, Sylvania Northview 0
In a game that was closer than the score might indicate – Northview had a 30-18 edge in shots on goal – the state’s top-ranked team advanced to the state championship game.
Although sixth-ranked Northview did not score, they challenged Gilmour to the end. Lancers head coach John Malloy credited the play of his goaltender, second-team All-Ohio selection Donato Iacurci, for keeping them in the game.
“They had some great chances and if Donato hadn't stepped up the way he did, there were some key moments where it could’ve been a 2-1 game or a 3-2 game, but he was there,” Malloy said.
Gilmour opened the scoring at 9:29 of the first period with a goal from senior forward Galen “Teddy” Frizzie and an assist from senior forward Ben Slifko.
On a power play just over two minutes later, Frizzie scored his second goal of the period on an assist from senior forward Aedan Aerni.
After recording 10 shots and controlling most of the play in the first period, Gilmour had to defend Northview’s attack, but Frizzie and Slifko combined again to increase the Lancers’ lead in the second period. This time, it was Frizzie assisting Slifko.
Although Northview limited Gilmour to just five shots in the second period and three shots in the third period, the Wildcats couldn’t convert, and Iacurci stood tall.
Cementing Gilmour’s lead, senior forward Zack Cox made it 4-0 in the third with assists from, you guessed it, Slifko and Frizzie.
With two goals and two assists, Frizzie contributed to all four of the Gilmour goals.
“You had a firsthand view of what happens when that occurs,” Malloy said. “He's a special player. He’s got one of the most accurate, hard shots that I've seen in high school hockey in a long, long time. He's got linemates that understand when, where and how to get him the puck. They also are very dangerous, so it's a unique combination that was able to take advantage of today and helped us a lot.”
This is the Lancers’ fifth appearance in the state tournament, and their most recent was their 2022 championship win.
Gilmour (35-1-0) has had an extremely successful season, leading the MaxPreps rankings entering this game and losing only once to St. Ignatius, but the Lancers know there is still work to be done.
"It's another game. Mentally we’ve got to think that we've done this before and we know what to do,” senior forward Zack Cox said. “Even if we go down, even if we go up, we need to stay grounded, stay level and just know it’s not done until the 51-minute horn goes off.”
“Shrink the moment,” senior defenseman Jonathan Primiano said. “Playing in Nationwide Arena and playing in a huge rink with all the people is obviously a huge moment for all of us, and it's surreal. But shrinking the moment, realizing you're out there with your guys, that's what it's all about.”
Sunday, Gilmour Academy hopes to finish the job and add to Malloy’s record as Ohio’s all-time winningest high school hockey coach.
